A Statue’s Connection to North Carolina Basketball

As the college basketball season heats up (re: UNC’s stunning buzzer-beater victory over Duke), now is the perfect time to reshare one of our favorite hoops-related stories from the People’s Collection.

Upon first encountering the Statue of Bacchus, on view in West Building, someone plagued by March Madness may think, “It kind of looks like he’s going for a layup with those grapes.” That visitor would not be entirely misguided in drawing this connection. The sculpture’s right arm, added to the statue in 2019, was modeled after the arm of Wyatt Walker—a previous forward on the NC State University men’s basketball team.

Although it may seem unconventional to modify an ancient statue in this way, Bacchus has never been entirely ancient. Over the course of the NCMA’s seven-year-long Bacchus Conservation Project, scientific, conservation, curatorial, and engineering data revealed that Bacchus is a composite of multiple sculptural elements from various geographies and historical periods. Highlights of the patchwork include a 2nd-century Roman torso, a comparably old head from a sculpture of a Greek Dionysus, and details like berries and leaves added in the late 16th or early 17th century.

With these discoveries in mind, the Bacchus project team recognized the value in keeping the statue intact, shifting away from a strategy of derestoration implemented in the 1950s. Instead of breaking up its disparate parts, they decided to bring Bacchus back to its original appearance.

While collaborating with structural engineer Andy Terrell on the sculpture’s foundation and reattaching the head that had been removed, the team began work with artist Larry Heyda on a solution to the statue’s missing appendage. Because Bacchus is 6 ft. 8 in., Heyda suggested the team consider athletes when deciding on an arm model. After some searching, they landed on Walker due to his comparable height (6 ft. 9 in.) and stature.

Using digital scans obtained during a modeling session with Walker, Heyda experimented with 3-D printed, miniature models of the sculpture and new arm. Throughout this process, he realized that significant changes had to be made, including a cut to the base of the arm, to ensure anatomical accuracy.

Composed of an inner layer of rigid urethane foam and an outer layer of polyurethane resin, the arm Heyda produced weighs less than 10 pounds, limiting the burden it places on the statue’s base. When the arm was attached, its exterior was hand painted with watercolors to match the color of the torso. The final step was filling in the gap between the torso and the arm, making the join obvious yet natural.

Following the conclusion of the conservation process, the initiative was commemorated in an exhibition and a catalogue, providing richer context surrounding how the statue was studied and restored.

Now, you have a go-to story to share with the sports fans in your life on future group trips to the NCMA galleries. However, be prepared for some scoffs and rolled eyes from die-hard Blue Devils and Tar Heels when revealing Bacchus’s allegiance to the Pack.